Robert F. Kennedy Jr. addressed the worsening avian flu crisis, saying vaccinating birds turns them into “mutation factories." Instead, he recommends letting the birds who survive the virus continue to breed.

Life science companies developing bird flu vaccines are gaining attention as the avian influenza subtype H5N1 becomes an increasing concern. The United States is in the midst of an H5N1 bird flu outbreak that began in February 2024 and is now threatening the nation’s poultry and cattle industries.

Without a new policy including vaccines, the government will continue to slaughter every flock with a bird flu infection to limit the spread of the disease. Those deaths have totaled over 166 million birds in the U.S. since 2022.

The existing vaccines don't match the current strain, and both the U.S. and E.U. have rules on imported birds that are vaccinated.

Epidemiologist Michael Osterholm, the head of the University of Minnesota Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, joined Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer to talk about the implications of axing the meeting.

RFK Jr. has once again railed against vaccines, this time claiming that vaccinating birds against avian flu will turn flocks into "mutation factories."